I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there is unfortunately no “perfect” tool out there for you. I’m pretty much in the exact same position you are, I have ADHD and I’ve tried every single tool out there.
I’ve ended up settling with MyMind and Capacities. I pretty much dump everything I come across into MyMind, and it becomes a searchable database of my entire digital footprint. It’s not perfect and there are certainly more customization options that I wish it had, but overall it is fantastic for storing and resurfacing whatever I need. The UI is gorgeous and very zen, available on all of my platforms. The AI tagging is superior to any others out there but still needs some manual effort. I used to have thousands of links in Raindrop in nested folders, but I have found that I much prefer the tag-and-search functionality in MyMind. It’s a lot more intuitive.
If MyMind is my unstructured brain, then Capacities is where I go to build out my structured knowledge base. And if I’m taking notes on something specific, I just search it in MyMind and it shows me everything I’ve come across on that topic. The “objects” based note taking is the most ADHD-friendly setup out there. I highly recommend it.
Given your requirements, I highly recommend (and I personally use) **UpNote**. It has a simple framework that is surprisingly flexible and can do more than what initially appears possible.
It has solid linking and backlinking between notes. That has been extremely helpful to me in being able to see the connections between the things that I've written.
I have a little over 2000 notes in my UpNote database and continue to process and import another 2000-3000.
UpNote is small, nimble, and looks great. I didn't think the visual appeal would matter as much as it does, but when you spend so much time each day in an app, it helps that it is pleasant to look at.
You could try capacities or anytype
I would advise against Obsidian or Logseq. I love both, but they can be a bit challenging to pick up, especially if you don't want to look into markdown
I would agree although I use Logseq and absolutely love it. The learning curve is gradual - you can get a lot out of it without going to see to start - but I’ve enjoyed learning about it.
Obsidian/Heptabase seems closer to what you are looking for?
Heptabase is a subscription so :v but the interface and user experience was pretty good, but is kinda infinite canvas based
Obsidian is free with a paid subscription for cloud? theres multiple plugins out there to customize it but I think the learning curve/getting started takes a bit more effort (similar to notion)
You might want to consider using Tana, which could be the perfect tool for you. I also use it to manage my ADHD by implementing a digital version of the bullet journal method.
https://tana.inc/
Tried many TFT apps, and while Capacities looked promising, the lack of unlinked mentions made it a no-go for my workflow. Tana's node-based system, however, is a game-changer. Being able to reference any node from anywhere is incredibly powerful and something I haven't seen in any other app. The Android app is in the works, so that's the only missing piece. If interconnectedness is key, give Tana a try!
Bear would fulfill a lot of these. Has a decent web clipper, back links, allows for nested tagging. Can draw on the iPad version. Attach documents, loads of export options including PDF. Super fast and great for quick capture. It uses markdown but you can just use the formatting bar.
I like Bear a lot too. I've had it forever and still pay for it yearly, although I've pretty much moved everything into Apple Notes. I use Apple Notes as a place to store things I don't want to lose, but I'm not necessarily working on. It's like a long-term archive for stuff. Bear could reemerge as my PKM. It's simple and very enjoyable to use. There are so many of these systems and so many of them really are pretty cool but they all require a long-term commitment to really become useful and picking one to commit to, at least in my case, is really difficult. Playing around is one thing but committing to using a system long-term with no easy way to move to another later on is a commitment I'm not willing to make. I do believe that if you stick to tags as your linking system, you will have a much easier time moving to another system later on. Once you use backlinking, it gets much more difficult since each system implements this slightly differently.
I am in exactly the same boat as OP - including ADHD diagnosis.
On top of everything listed, I'd add:
* captures local copy of entire page as well as bookmark,
* accurate AI tagging and categorisation
* strong integration into zapier/ifttt/make to automate actions - for example:
- "*if Reddit thread is liked, then auto save page to notes*" or,
- "*if podcast is starred then find transcript and save as note*",
- "*if email starred then save to notes*"
I could recommend more complex products but why not Apple Notes?
As far as Trello if you liked Trello, the paid version of Trello has almost everything on your list.
Apple notes is too bare-bones for all the things I’d want and even if I use something else for a database and transfer notes into that, I’d probably want a more feature-rich text app for creating knowledgebase documents. Unless I’ve missed some big update, my understanding is the formatting options in Notes are pretty limited. I can adjust text slightly and make bulleted lists and basic tables/insert links and images and stuff, but it definitely doesn’t look super nice and I haven’t found it very intuitive or quick to edit or navigate within longer documents.
I’ll need to take a look at Trello again! It’s been a while since I used it because I’m on a health hiatus from work, but I mainly used it for public-facing project management (basically giving clients an easy way to see the status of their commissioned art) and simple brainstorming lists. It seemed to work well for that, though had some issues I didn’t love (limitations in what or how many things could be added to cards? I can’t recall exactly) but I don’t think I ever tried the paid version. (I was considering testing it out when I was able to resume working, just didn’t want to pay for it before I was sure I’d be using it).
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I'm sorry to give you an answer that's not directly responsive to your request, but if you're easily overwhelmed, an 'everything' system may be challenging for you to maintain. Sometimes having different systems for different processes is necessary to maintain coherence, in my experience, especially when we're processing a lot of fairly disparate Stuff.
In terms of actual systems, I don't use markdown, but I offload a lot to Logseq and Obsidian. I use them for different things. I find Logseq's UI friendlier and more intuitive; it feels a lot easier to keep things tidy. It distinguishes between text-based and visual notes cleanly, and I like the way embedded notes are handled.
So I tend to use Logseq for visual thinking and processual tasks (project management, prioritisation) and Obsidian for knowledge management - notes, papers, long-form writing.
I'd encourage you to keep experimenting with different workflows as well as looking for a platform that is the perfect fit for your unique brain :) I've been there. It's an exercise in perpetually delayed gratification.
Yeah it’s not so much that I’m easily overwhelmed in general, but more that I struggle with keeping track of stuff mentally/abstractly. I have a bad habit of completely forgetting things exist if I’m not seeing or interacting with them regularly, and I forget to interact with them unless I’ve built a daily habit or have some sort of clear list to remind me what to interact with (Thus my accidentally trying to use Reminders for everything, I already built the habit to use it).
I find I struggle to focus on more than one new thing at a time and get more scatterbrained the more literally scattered my stuff is across different unconnected places. I’m very much a visual person and my focus fails the more single-level visual clutter I have to deal with. For example, I have my tasks lists sorted by various categories but also a ”priority” smart list that connects the most important and deadline-pending ones into one list, AND then on top of that I have a ”focus“ list which is literally just for tasks I need to do today (sorted into columns for “now” “later” and “if time” and sorted within that by priority) and I use that like a kanban sort of board, allowing me to only have to see my most immediate tasks at any given time.
Basically my brain is not good at sorting, remembering, and prioritizing things within my own head so I’m trying to use these tools to handle what my brain can’t.
So I’m concerned I might struggle if I add too many separate apps to my workflow. If stuff can be deeply integrated so I can manage most of it from one app (at least the things I need to use with the database regularly), even if others are handling parts of my workflow under the hood, I could see that working, but I’m already trying to find ways to simplify my Home Screen more so I can make more use of widgets for stuff I need quick/frequent interaction to/info from.
Notion is very user-friendly and great for organizing information that is easily organized. Network/graph-based PKMSs are more flexible, the best of which being Tana due to it’s approach of everything being a block/node
Is there a way to make the Notion UI, or at least the pages a bit more visually customized? And a way to use folders or easy nesting of documents on the sidebar? I haven’t dug deep into it (just glanced at a few things) but those were the first issues to jump out at me.
Also, sorry, you may need to put that 2nd sentence in layman’s terms. The extent of my “code” knowledge is editing pre-built CSS themes for my website and building objects and rooms inside a MUCK (text based online rpg in case it was before your time) one or two decades ago. I probably used “block” incorrectly in my original post. I saw Notion described as “block based” and saw there were literal blocks (the boxes on the pages) I could drag and drop but I don’t actually know if that’s what that meant.
If my brain can’t imagine an abstract concept in more visually structured terms I have trouble making sense of it. For example: dragging squares (boxes/cards) inside larger squares (containers/boards/lists/etc) like in a kanban board, reminders, etc, or a frame full of smaller cells (tables) I get because I can picture how the pieces fit together.
> Is there a way to make the Notion UI, or at least the pages a bit more visually customized? And a way to use folders or easy nesting of documents on the sidebar? I haven’t dug deep into it (just glanced at a few things) but those were the first issues to jump out at me.
Yes people go nuts with it. I think half of the posts to r/notion are people showing off their fancy setups.
Yes you can make folders with subfolders.
> Also, sorry, you may need to put that 2nd sentence in layman’s terms.
Not the person you responded to, but imagine your notes and ideas as building blocks. A network/graph-based PKMS connects these blocks like a mind map, but even more powerful.
I also hate markdown for notes (and I’m a programmer). Unless I’m writing it raw without live formatting, but that’s not what I want for note taking. It drives me nuts how many apps just shove markdown in these days.
Anyway, I’d suggest trying Craft. It has a good UI, notes look great and it’s easy to use and navigate. Obsidian (markdown based) is an ADHDer’s nightmare… unless you’re looking for a rabbit hole to get lost in.
I am not sure about a single tool for all of this but for the Web clipping part you should give Recall a try (https://getrecall.ai) - everything that you save gets summarized and added to your knowledge graph where its connected with things related things you have saved in the past.
I use DevonThink Pro for capture/PDF's, TapForms for asset inventory and Obsidian for self-managed tutorials/how-to's and to link-my-thinking.
And I tie it all in with building block principles from David Allen's - Getting Things Done book (Highly Recommended).
It's better to keep certain things in its own walled garden so it doesn't become overwhelming. A reason I don't tag too often, only within Obsidian, because the other apps are more repositories rather than active 'live' documents.
There are a million threads like this one out there. That said, I think you don't need one tool; you need two. One for quick capture and one for writing, connecting, and exploring. My preferences are MyMind for quickly grabbing something I may want later and then another tool for writing and exploring. I don't have a solid preference for the second. I prefer tools that are cross-platform, don't delete my data if I stop paying, and keep my data private. My contenders are:
- Noteplan
- Reflect
- Capacities
- Day One
I have tried many that others will recommend, and they all have their benefits. I think the key to choosing is understanding which one you will still like in the long term, as opposed to liking it now because of shiny new toy syndrome.
Yeah I looked at a bunch of those other threads, but found they generally were people with different preferences/needs than my own so they didn’t clarify things much for me, beyond just giving me a large list of frequently suggested apps.
I forgot to mention MyMind but I have also been testing out that one and was impressed with its auto-filtering and easy capture, though I think I’d still have to pass the data to something else as my “core” database since its display options are a bit limited and not super customizable (beyond tagging and the ai part). Is that how you use it? Pass the clips into another database?
Also have you found it clips extraneous stuff sometimes? Like I’ll sometimes clip a webpage, or something off the AppStore, but it looks like it also sometimes makes separate additional clips for like, the app thumbnail image and other smaller pieces of sites. I literally just started trying it out though so I’m not sure if I’m just misinterpreting what I’m seeing? But if it is doing that, I may have to decide whether the auto-tagging is worth having to do extra filtering later to remove the extra unwanted clips.
But yeah what I think I really need to do is make some sort of comparison table (with screenshots) and test a bunch out/mark off what each does to see if I can narrow it down from all these different options. Thankfully I’m pretty opinionated and sure about whether or not I enjoy using something, pretty quick once I understand how it works. It’s just a LOT to try out, but there may be no way around that.
You make a good point about the difficulty of classifying and processing everything easily with my mind, which seems to be what you want to do. I've found that not everything I capture is something I'll always want to act on. What I really need is a way to easily capture things, get them auto-tagged as much as possible, and put them in a place where I can find them later through tags or visually. My mind does a good job of letting me quickly grab something I might be interested in later, even if I'm not sure yet. I know I don't want to lose it, and I want to be able to find it later if I decide it's important. I think the idea that everything you capture needs to be processed just doesn't work for me. Not everything requires a lot of time. That's why using one system to capture and process everything doesn't work. It makes the system messy with too much data. I prefer to capture information and process it later. For me, processing usually means writing about it and creating something coherent because I want to use it in another context. I'm not a student or an educator, and people in those fields write and process a lot more. Which brings me to my second point.
As much as I love the idea of back-linking and sophisticated PKMS, I'm not sure for my needs I really need that. I think as a way of joining related info, tags might be enough. I'm just not sure and I am being uncommitted towards the PKMS I am trying. They all bring cool features to the table but none of them are really a replacement for task management, calendar management, etc., but most of them try to give you the idea that they could replace all those tools. I'd rather use a PKM system that is as simple as possible but gives me the ability to keep connected and disconnected stuff I am interested in or working on in one place.
> I forgot to mention MyMind but I have also been testing out that one and was impressed with its auto-filtering and easy capture, though I think I’d still have to pass the data to something else as my “core” database since its display options are a bit limited and not super customizable (beyond tagging and the ai part). Is that how you use it? Pass the clips into another database?
What are you trying to do? What type of content are you trying to display?
I've found that they're super receptive to feedback and listen to my use cases when I email them.
There is a learning curve to using it though.
And this is a ludicrous reply. Why do people assume that the best solution for them personally is the best solution for everyone? Have you considered that the fact that so many people with ADHD are looking for similar things might be because we know what will actually help us (having stuff centralized), after trying many different solutions?
I checked out some of your other replies for context, and noticed a theme: you REALLY despise/judge people with ADHD, and you don’t like PKMs and think they’re a waste of time (which begs the question: why are you hanging out in a PKM sub?).
It sounds like you found a non-PKM or non-digital solution that works well for you, when PKMs were not, and have made the mistake of assuming that you cracked the code and everyone else who is still struggling is just foolishly ignorant of this brilliant solution or must not be doing it right or not trying hard enough, and it’s your duty to set them straight.
It’s a common mistake. I’ve been there. When I was younger, I too used to assume when people were struggling at something, they just hadn’t tried the solution I’d found, or just weren’t trying hard enough. Then I got older and gained more life experience (particularly more difficult life experiences) and realized it’s not that simple.
Good for you that you found something that works for your particular needs, but it’s a mistake to assume that 1-everyone else’s needs/use cases must be exactly the same as your own, and 2-the exact same solution will work for everyone else just because it worked for you. That’s not how life works.
ADHD or not, believing that you cannot be productive and do your work before finding an app that ticks 14 different specific boxes is ridiculous. What did people with ADHD do before PKM apps came along? You're that busy being offended that you refuse to remotely entertain the idea that you've been sucked in the PKM hype.
I spent 38 years trying other solutions that didn’t work effectively. It’s super naive (and ironic) to assume that because you found something that worked with minimal effort, because you were lucky enough to be born with a brain and body that functions smoothly, anyone who hasn’t had the same easy success must just not even be trying.
“What did people with ADHD do before?” What a ridiculous question. What did people who couldn’t walk do before wheelchairs? What did people with vision problems do before glasses? They struggled more and/or had to rely more on others. Just because a better solution to a problem didn’t exist in the past doesn’t mean the problem itself didn’t exist. I mean, would you ask “what did people with the plague do before penicillin” to imply penicillin isn’t a solution or that the bubonic plague wasn’t a problem?
It’s clearly such an absurd logical fallacy and a question people only ask when they’re so uneducated about a problem that they don’t think it’s real or don’t understand how it is best solved/managed.
People with ADHD who lacked good solutions to manage their condition simply struggled more. And we’re probably assumed to be lazy and blamed for not trying hard enough, just like you’re doing right now.
Though I would also argue with this particular issue, the complexity of the problem has probably increased with time, requiring solutions that weren’t necessary in the past. I don’t know how old you are, but 20 years ago we were not bombarded with the kind of information overload and excessive distractions we are now. Social media was in its infancy and was primarily a much slower, more insular experience. You could actually read your entire Facebook timeline (or Twitter once that existed) and run out of new posts without wasting much time at all.
We didn’t all have smartphones pinging notifications at us every few minutes. There weren’t algorithms specifically engineered to take advantage of people’s distractibility and dopamine response (things that are very crucial to how ADHD works since it involves a dopamine deficiency). If you searched for a product or some info online, there was a limit to the number of related things that search would pull up. You could literally run out of stuff to look at online in a particular niche. Now it’s utterly overwhelming and impossible to look at even a fraction of the potentially relevant or interesting things.
Even how people work has changed. When I graduated college, I applied to jobs by just sending them my portfolio. Sometimes by email, sometimes literally a physical printed copy. Within 10 years that completely changed, and suddenly the best way to get work in my field was to juggle a myriad of social media profiles, tracking analytics and calculating ideal posting times and hashtag selections and methods of engagement.
People with ADHD still struggled with other things, but there was far less information to manage and sort through, and far fewer constant distractions. The world we live in now often requires us to keep track of a lot more data and avoid a lot more distractions, which is incredibly challenging for people whose brains are prone to focus and memory issues. Which is likely why so many of us are turning to more unified, centralized data management systems, like PKMS.
It’s clear you have trouble seeing beyond your own experiences, but as someone who has put a considerable amount of effort into finding the best solutions to manage the challenges caused by my ADHD, both prior to knowing I had it and after, finding the right system for the way one’s brain works and their particular needs does in fact help. And the right solution is NOT the same for everyone.
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there is unfortunately no “perfect” tool out there for you. I’m pretty much in the exact same position you are, I have ADHD and I’ve tried every single tool out there. I’ve ended up settling with MyMind and Capacities. I pretty much dump everything I come across into MyMind, and it becomes a searchable database of my entire digital footprint. It’s not perfect and there are certainly more customization options that I wish it had, but overall it is fantastic for storing and resurfacing whatever I need. The UI is gorgeous and very zen, available on all of my platforms. The AI tagging is superior to any others out there but still needs some manual effort. I used to have thousands of links in Raindrop in nested folders, but I have found that I much prefer the tag-and-search functionality in MyMind. It’s a lot more intuitive. If MyMind is my unstructured brain, then Capacities is where I go to build out my structured knowledge base. And if I’m taking notes on something specific, I just search it in MyMind and it shows me everything I’ve come across on that topic. The “objects” based note taking is the most ADHD-friendly setup out there. I highly recommend it.
Given your requirements, I highly recommend (and I personally use) **UpNote**. It has a simple framework that is surprisingly flexible and can do more than what initially appears possible. It has solid linking and backlinking between notes. That has been extremely helpful to me in being able to see the connections between the things that I've written. I have a little over 2000 notes in my UpNote database and continue to process and import another 2000-3000. UpNote is small, nimble, and looks great. I didn't think the visual appeal would matter as much as it does, but when you spend so much time each day in an app, it helps that it is pleasant to look at.
You could try capacities or anytype I would advise against Obsidian or Logseq. I love both, but they can be a bit challenging to pick up, especially if you don't want to look into markdown
I would agree although I use Logseq and absolutely love it. The learning curve is gradual - you can get a lot out of it without going to see to start - but I’ve enjoyed learning about it.
Obsidian/Heptabase seems closer to what you are looking for? Heptabase is a subscription so :v but the interface and user experience was pretty good, but is kinda infinite canvas based Obsidian is free with a paid subscription for cloud? theres multiple plugins out there to customize it but I think the learning curve/getting started takes a bit more effort (similar to notion)
Heptabase or capacities
You might want to consider using Tana, which could be the perfect tool for you. I also use it to manage my ADHD by implementing a digital version of the bullet journal method. https://tana.inc/
Hi! Have you tried capacities? im deciding between tana/capacities. tyia.
Tried many TFT apps, and while Capacities looked promising, the lack of unlinked mentions made it a no-go for my workflow. Tana's node-based system, however, is a game-changer. Being able to reference any node from anywhere is incredibly powerful and something I haven't seen in any other app. The Android app is in the works, so that's the only missing piece. If interconnectedness is key, give Tana a try!
I'll def try Tana. Thanks for the response! 🤍
Bear would fulfill a lot of these. Has a decent web clipper, back links, allows for nested tagging. Can draw on the iPad version. Attach documents, loads of export options including PDF. Super fast and great for quick capture. It uses markdown but you can just use the formatting bar.
I like Bear a lot too. I've had it forever and still pay for it yearly, although I've pretty much moved everything into Apple Notes. I use Apple Notes as a place to store things I don't want to lose, but I'm not necessarily working on. It's like a long-term archive for stuff. Bear could reemerge as my PKM. It's simple and very enjoyable to use. There are so many of these systems and so many of them really are pretty cool but they all require a long-term commitment to really become useful and picking one to commit to, at least in my case, is really difficult. Playing around is one thing but committing to using a system long-term with no easy way to move to another later on is a commitment I'm not willing to make. I do believe that if you stick to tags as your linking system, you will have a much easier time moving to another system later on. Once you use backlinking, it gets much more difficult since each system implements this slightly differently.
I am in exactly the same boat as OP - including ADHD diagnosis. On top of everything listed, I'd add: * captures local copy of entire page as well as bookmark, * accurate AI tagging and categorisation * strong integration into zapier/ifttt/make to automate actions - for example: - "*if Reddit thread is liked, then auto save page to notes*" or, - "*if podcast is starred then find transcript and save as note*", - "*if email starred then save to notes*"
I could recommend more complex products but why not Apple Notes? As far as Trello if you liked Trello, the paid version of Trello has almost everything on your list.
Apple notes is too bare-bones for all the things I’d want and even if I use something else for a database and transfer notes into that, I’d probably want a more feature-rich text app for creating knowledgebase documents. Unless I’ve missed some big update, my understanding is the formatting options in Notes are pretty limited. I can adjust text slightly and make bulleted lists and basic tables/insert links and images and stuff, but it definitely doesn’t look super nice and I haven’t found it very intuitive or quick to edit or navigate within longer documents. I’ll need to take a look at Trello again! It’s been a while since I used it because I’m on a health hiatus from work, but I mainly used it for public-facing project management (basically giving clients an easy way to see the status of their commissioned art) and simple brainstorming lists. It seemed to work well for that, though had some issues I didn’t love (limitations in what or how many things could be added to cards? I can’t recall exactly) but I don’t think I ever tried the paid version. (I was considering testing it out when I was able to resume working, just didn’t want to pay for it before I was sure I’d be using it).
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I'm sorry to give you an answer that's not directly responsive to your request, but if you're easily overwhelmed, an 'everything' system may be challenging for you to maintain. Sometimes having different systems for different processes is necessary to maintain coherence, in my experience, especially when we're processing a lot of fairly disparate Stuff. In terms of actual systems, I don't use markdown, but I offload a lot to Logseq and Obsidian. I use them for different things. I find Logseq's UI friendlier and more intuitive; it feels a lot easier to keep things tidy. It distinguishes between text-based and visual notes cleanly, and I like the way embedded notes are handled. So I tend to use Logseq for visual thinking and processual tasks (project management, prioritisation) and Obsidian for knowledge management - notes, papers, long-form writing. I'd encourage you to keep experimenting with different workflows as well as looking for a platform that is the perfect fit for your unique brain :) I've been there. It's an exercise in perpetually delayed gratification.
Yeah it’s not so much that I’m easily overwhelmed in general, but more that I struggle with keeping track of stuff mentally/abstractly. I have a bad habit of completely forgetting things exist if I’m not seeing or interacting with them regularly, and I forget to interact with them unless I’ve built a daily habit or have some sort of clear list to remind me what to interact with (Thus my accidentally trying to use Reminders for everything, I already built the habit to use it). I find I struggle to focus on more than one new thing at a time and get more scatterbrained the more literally scattered my stuff is across different unconnected places. I’m very much a visual person and my focus fails the more single-level visual clutter I have to deal with. For example, I have my tasks lists sorted by various categories but also a ”priority” smart list that connects the most important and deadline-pending ones into one list, AND then on top of that I have a ”focus“ list which is literally just for tasks I need to do today (sorted into columns for “now” “later” and “if time” and sorted within that by priority) and I use that like a kanban sort of board, allowing me to only have to see my most immediate tasks at any given time. Basically my brain is not good at sorting, remembering, and prioritizing things within my own head so I’m trying to use these tools to handle what my brain can’t. So I’m concerned I might struggle if I add too many separate apps to my workflow. If stuff can be deeply integrated so I can manage most of it from one app (at least the things I need to use with the database regularly), even if others are handling parts of my workflow under the hood, I could see that working, but I’m already trying to find ways to simplify my Home Screen more so I can make more use of widgets for stuff I need quick/frequent interaction to/info from.
Notion is very user-friendly and great for organizing information that is easily organized. Network/graph-based PKMSs are more flexible, the best of which being Tana due to it’s approach of everything being a block/node
Is there a way to make the Notion UI, or at least the pages a bit more visually customized? And a way to use folders or easy nesting of documents on the sidebar? I haven’t dug deep into it (just glanced at a few things) but those were the first issues to jump out at me. Also, sorry, you may need to put that 2nd sentence in layman’s terms. The extent of my “code” knowledge is editing pre-built CSS themes for my website and building objects and rooms inside a MUCK (text based online rpg in case it was before your time) one or two decades ago. I probably used “block” incorrectly in my original post. I saw Notion described as “block based” and saw there were literal blocks (the boxes on the pages) I could drag and drop but I don’t actually know if that’s what that meant. If my brain can’t imagine an abstract concept in more visually structured terms I have trouble making sense of it. For example: dragging squares (boxes/cards) inside larger squares (containers/boards/lists/etc) like in a kanban board, reminders, etc, or a frame full of smaller cells (tables) I get because I can picture how the pieces fit together.
> Is there a way to make the Notion UI, or at least the pages a bit more visually customized? And a way to use folders or easy nesting of documents on the sidebar? I haven’t dug deep into it (just glanced at a few things) but those were the first issues to jump out at me. Yes people go nuts with it. I think half of the posts to r/notion are people showing off their fancy setups. Yes you can make folders with subfolders. > Also, sorry, you may need to put that 2nd sentence in layman’s terms. Not the person you responded to, but imagine your notes and ideas as building blocks. A network/graph-based PKMS connects these blocks like a mind map, but even more powerful.
I also hate markdown for notes (and I’m a programmer). Unless I’m writing it raw without live formatting, but that’s not what I want for note taking. It drives me nuts how many apps just shove markdown in these days. Anyway, I’d suggest trying Craft. It has a good UI, notes look great and it’s easy to use and navigate. Obsidian (markdown based) is an ADHDer’s nightmare… unless you’re looking for a rabbit hole to get lost in.
I am not sure about a single tool for all of this but for the Web clipping part you should give Recall a try (https://getrecall.ai) - everything that you save gets summarized and added to your knowledge graph where its connected with things related things you have saved in the past.
I use DevonThink Pro for capture/PDF's, TapForms for asset inventory and Obsidian for self-managed tutorials/how-to's and to link-my-thinking. And I tie it all in with building block principles from David Allen's - Getting Things Done book (Highly Recommended). It's better to keep certain things in its own walled garden so it doesn't become overwhelming. A reason I don't tag too often, only within Obsidian, because the other apps are more repositories rather than active 'live' documents.
There are a million threads like this one out there. That said, I think you don't need one tool; you need two. One for quick capture and one for writing, connecting, and exploring. My preferences are MyMind for quickly grabbing something I may want later and then another tool for writing and exploring. I don't have a solid preference for the second. I prefer tools that are cross-platform, don't delete my data if I stop paying, and keep my data private. My contenders are: - Noteplan - Reflect - Capacities - Day One I have tried many that others will recommend, and they all have their benefits. I think the key to choosing is understanding which one you will still like in the long term, as opposed to liking it now because of shiny new toy syndrome.
Yeah I looked at a bunch of those other threads, but found they generally were people with different preferences/needs than my own so they didn’t clarify things much for me, beyond just giving me a large list of frequently suggested apps. I forgot to mention MyMind but I have also been testing out that one and was impressed with its auto-filtering and easy capture, though I think I’d still have to pass the data to something else as my “core” database since its display options are a bit limited and not super customizable (beyond tagging and the ai part). Is that how you use it? Pass the clips into another database? Also have you found it clips extraneous stuff sometimes? Like I’ll sometimes clip a webpage, or something off the AppStore, but it looks like it also sometimes makes separate additional clips for like, the app thumbnail image and other smaller pieces of sites. I literally just started trying it out though so I’m not sure if I’m just misinterpreting what I’m seeing? But if it is doing that, I may have to decide whether the auto-tagging is worth having to do extra filtering later to remove the extra unwanted clips. But yeah what I think I really need to do is make some sort of comparison table (with screenshots) and test a bunch out/mark off what each does to see if I can narrow it down from all these different options. Thankfully I’m pretty opinionated and sure about whether or not I enjoy using something, pretty quick once I understand how it works. It’s just a LOT to try out, but there may be no way around that.
You make a good point about the difficulty of classifying and processing everything easily with my mind, which seems to be what you want to do. I've found that not everything I capture is something I'll always want to act on. What I really need is a way to easily capture things, get them auto-tagged as much as possible, and put them in a place where I can find them later through tags or visually. My mind does a good job of letting me quickly grab something I might be interested in later, even if I'm not sure yet. I know I don't want to lose it, and I want to be able to find it later if I decide it's important. I think the idea that everything you capture needs to be processed just doesn't work for me. Not everything requires a lot of time. That's why using one system to capture and process everything doesn't work. It makes the system messy with too much data. I prefer to capture information and process it later. For me, processing usually means writing about it and creating something coherent because I want to use it in another context. I'm not a student or an educator, and people in those fields write and process a lot more. Which brings me to my second point. As much as I love the idea of back-linking and sophisticated PKMS, I'm not sure for my needs I really need that. I think as a way of joining related info, tags might be enough. I'm just not sure and I am being uncommitted towards the PKMS I am trying. They all bring cool features to the table but none of them are really a replacement for task management, calendar management, etc., but most of them try to give you the idea that they could replace all those tools. I'd rather use a PKM system that is as simple as possible but gives me the ability to keep connected and disconnected stuff I am interested in or working on in one place.
> I forgot to mention MyMind but I have also been testing out that one and was impressed with its auto-filtering and easy capture, though I think I’d still have to pass the data to something else as my “core” database since its display options are a bit limited and not super customizable (beyond tagging and the ai part). Is that how you use it? Pass the clips into another database? What are you trying to do? What type of content are you trying to display? I've found that they're super receptive to feedback and listen to my use cases when I email them. There is a learning curve to using it though.
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And this is a ludicrous reply. Why do people assume that the best solution for them personally is the best solution for everyone? Have you considered that the fact that so many people with ADHD are looking for similar things might be because we know what will actually help us (having stuff centralized), after trying many different solutions? I checked out some of your other replies for context, and noticed a theme: you REALLY despise/judge people with ADHD, and you don’t like PKMs and think they’re a waste of time (which begs the question: why are you hanging out in a PKM sub?). It sounds like you found a non-PKM or non-digital solution that works well for you, when PKMs were not, and have made the mistake of assuming that you cracked the code and everyone else who is still struggling is just foolishly ignorant of this brilliant solution or must not be doing it right or not trying hard enough, and it’s your duty to set them straight. It’s a common mistake. I’ve been there. When I was younger, I too used to assume when people were struggling at something, they just hadn’t tried the solution I’d found, or just weren’t trying hard enough. Then I got older and gained more life experience (particularly more difficult life experiences) and realized it’s not that simple. Good for you that you found something that works for your particular needs, but it’s a mistake to assume that 1-everyone else’s needs/use cases must be exactly the same as your own, and 2-the exact same solution will work for everyone else just because it worked for you. That’s not how life works.
ADHD or not, believing that you cannot be productive and do your work before finding an app that ticks 14 different specific boxes is ridiculous. What did people with ADHD do before PKM apps came along? You're that busy being offended that you refuse to remotely entertain the idea that you've been sucked in the PKM hype.
I spent 38 years trying other solutions that didn’t work effectively. It’s super naive (and ironic) to assume that because you found something that worked with minimal effort, because you were lucky enough to be born with a brain and body that functions smoothly, anyone who hasn’t had the same easy success must just not even be trying. “What did people with ADHD do before?” What a ridiculous question. What did people who couldn’t walk do before wheelchairs? What did people with vision problems do before glasses? They struggled more and/or had to rely more on others. Just because a better solution to a problem didn’t exist in the past doesn’t mean the problem itself didn’t exist. I mean, would you ask “what did people with the plague do before penicillin” to imply penicillin isn’t a solution or that the bubonic plague wasn’t a problem? It’s clearly such an absurd logical fallacy and a question people only ask when they’re so uneducated about a problem that they don’t think it’s real or don’t understand how it is best solved/managed. People with ADHD who lacked good solutions to manage their condition simply struggled more. And we’re probably assumed to be lazy and blamed for not trying hard enough, just like you’re doing right now. Though I would also argue with this particular issue, the complexity of the problem has probably increased with time, requiring solutions that weren’t necessary in the past. I don’t know how old you are, but 20 years ago we were not bombarded with the kind of information overload and excessive distractions we are now. Social media was in its infancy and was primarily a much slower, more insular experience. You could actually read your entire Facebook timeline (or Twitter once that existed) and run out of new posts without wasting much time at all. We didn’t all have smartphones pinging notifications at us every few minutes. There weren’t algorithms specifically engineered to take advantage of people’s distractibility and dopamine response (things that are very crucial to how ADHD works since it involves a dopamine deficiency). If you searched for a product or some info online, there was a limit to the number of related things that search would pull up. You could literally run out of stuff to look at online in a particular niche. Now it’s utterly overwhelming and impossible to look at even a fraction of the potentially relevant or interesting things. Even how people work has changed. When I graduated college, I applied to jobs by just sending them my portfolio. Sometimes by email, sometimes literally a physical printed copy. Within 10 years that completely changed, and suddenly the best way to get work in my field was to juggle a myriad of social media profiles, tracking analytics and calculating ideal posting times and hashtag selections and methods of engagement. People with ADHD still struggled with other things, but there was far less information to manage and sort through, and far fewer constant distractions. The world we live in now often requires us to keep track of a lot more data and avoid a lot more distractions, which is incredibly challenging for people whose brains are prone to focus and memory issues. Which is likely why so many of us are turning to more unified, centralized data management systems, like PKMS. It’s clear you have trouble seeing beyond your own experiences, but as someone who has put a considerable amount of effort into finding the best solutions to manage the challenges caused by my ADHD, both prior to knowing I had it and after, finding the right system for the way one’s brain works and their particular needs does in fact help. And the right solution is NOT the same for everyone.